Dr Caster

The light popped out between the horizon and the clouds for about 3 minutes but I had waited over an hour for the opportunity. When it came I was ready, if it didn't come it didn't matter because I was standing in one of the most beautiful places in Colorado. The image is made up of 21 overlapping images in exposure and width.

There was a substantial cloud layer above us as we munched dinner waiting with tripods and shutter releases ready. As the official sunset time came and went we kept everything set up and all of the sudden the evening light spread down the mountain, there must have been a clearing somewhere over Utah that we hit at the last minute. As the light spread across the mountains the reflections became even more astounding at this location outside of Crested Butte. While I'm being selective with what I post here, I have several more that are equally astounding but this one struck a special chord with me.

Sometimes I bring very specific gear to get a very specific capture. In this case I got what I came for but ... just out of this frame is a moose and her calf bathing in the lake causing the ripples. While I captured my prey, maybe an open mind would have brought me a more beautiful capture, or maybe a memory is better yet.

During the day Joshua Tree National Park is one of the hottest, driest, most desolate places. As the sun sets, the form of the trees really take shape giving a completely alien and beautiful landscape.